Caseificio Nuovo
Dairy at Poggibonsi founded in 1987 and run by the Morrocchi family, with a shop and morning visits that show cheese being made, followed by a tasting of eight pecorini and ricotta.
About Raveggiolo
A very fresh, rindless curd cheese, 20 to 25 cm across and 3 to 4 cm high. Rennet is added to milk, which was traditionally raw and is now usually pasteurised, and the curd is left unbroken to drain on mats or baskets, or between fern, fig or cabbage leaves. Most is made from cow's milk, with sheep's milk versions around Siena and Pistoia. Italian Wikipedia dates the first record to 1515 and says production was traditionally limited to October through March because the cheese keeps so briefly.
Made in: The Tuscan and Romagna Apennines; made from sheep's milk in the Siena and Pistoia areas
On the plate
Milk-white and soft, buttery and gently sweet. It is used to fill fresh pasta and savoury pies and in desserts, or eaten in summer simply dressed with Tuscan oil.
Rind: none, eaten fresh
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Raveggiolo
Vernaccia di San Gimignano Tuscany
Our pickRaveggiolo is milk-white, soft, buttery and gently sweet, and it keeps only days, so it wants a fresh white. Vernaccia's acidity lifts it without covering it.
The grapes behind these winesVernaccia
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Casa Fiorini
The Grosseto shop of Caseificio Il Fiorino, opened in October 2024 on about 130 square metres, with its whole cheese range, fresh ricotta, cured meats, wine and craft beer.
Antichi Sapori di Pienza
Zazzeri family shop on Corso il Rossellino selling fresh and aged Pecorino di Pienza, Cinta Senese salumi, wine and olive oil, with an online shop for orders.
Pieragnoli Bottega
Bottega of the Pieragnoli dairy and salumeria at Vaiano, open weekdays and Saturday morning. The house catalogue covers cheeses, pecorini, cured meats, pasta, wine and oil.
Cheese experiences nearby
Fiera del Cacio, Pienza
Pienza's cheese fair, started in 1974 on the initiative of the Pro Loco's first president: pecorino stalls and local food, demonstrations and children's activities, and the Cacio al Fuso game, in which the town's six contrade roll pecorino wheels toward a spindle in Piazza Pio II.
Il Segreto del Pecorino at Caseificio Il Fiorino
Guided visit of the Fiorino dairy and its natural ageing grotto, then a tasting of four pecorini with fresh ricotta, honey and preserves, bread and a glass of sparkling wine. The 4-hour Sulle Vie della Transumanza route (60 EUR) adds a tour of medieval Roccalbegna and six pecorini. By reservation only.
Caseifici Aperti, Pecorino Toscano DOP open dairies
Annual programme of the Pecorino Toscano DOP consortium: free guided visits to a few member dairies, among them Busti, Il Fiorino and Caseificio Sociale Manciano, showing how the cheese is made. Each dairy sets its own visit dates and takes bookings by its own contact.
Busti dairy tours with tasting
Guided routes through the Busti dairy, each ending with a tasting. Four formats: Nonna Emma (4 cheeses), La Pec (3 cheeses with La Pec ricotta), Pecorino Toscano DOP (4 cheeses and Tuscan charcuterie) and Grotte (5 cheeses and a hot first course, plus the ageing cave visit). Minimum 2 participants.
Tasting and visit at Corzano e Paterno
Tasting of four wines with a board of four cheeses, or a guided tour of the winery and dairy (the dairy is seen from outside) followed by the tasting. Tastings and visits run Monday to Saturday by reservation, for up to 20 people; tours leave at 11:00 and 16:00, the afternoon one in summer only for the larger board.
Pienza Pecorino cheese tour (Valdichiana Living)
Three-hour visit to a working sheep dairy, seeing cheese processing and tasting Pienza pecorino at different stages of ageing. Booked through the Strada del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, which lists departures at 10:30 or 16:00; Visit Tuscany lists the operator as Valdichiana Living and a 13:00 slot. Transport on request.
Raveggiolo: questions
How long does raveggiolo keep?
Only a few days: Italian Wikipedia says it is eaten fresh, within a few days of making.
What is raveggiolo made from?
Mostly cow's milk, with sheep's milk versions in the Siena and Pistoia areas.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Tuscany
Plan the trip
Visit Raveggiolo country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Tuscany
Small Group Tuscany Wine Tasting Safaris with Lunch / Dinner
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Sources: it.wikipedia.org, allassaggio.it. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.